The Facts of Life: Seasons 1 & 2
Starring: Charlotte Rae, Lisa Whelchel, Kim Fields, Mindy Cohen, Nancy McKeon
Studio: Mill Creek Entertainment
Release Date: May 20th, 2014
Retail: $14.98
ASIN: B00IJZW4KW
Running Time: 706 Minutes
Rating: Not Rated

Review:

Arriving on DVD from Mill Creek Entertainment last month is the Season One and Season of Two of sitcom The Facts of Life, available in individual season sets or 2-Season Combo Pack featuring all 29-episodes.

Spinning-off from NBC's Diff'rent Strokes, the series originally had housekeeper Mrs. Edna Garrett (played by Charlotte Rae) becoming a housemother to the private all-girls school, Eastland School, where Kimberly Drummond (played by Dana Plato) attended in the Diff'rent Strokes in the first season finale (The Girl's School). Though she appeared in the first official episode (Rough Housing), Kimberly was dropped from there series, Mrs. Garrett stayed on as a housekeeper to teenagers to Blair Warner (played by Lisa Whelchel), Molly Parker (played by Molly Ringwald), Natalie Green (played by Mindy Cohen), Cindy Webster (played by Julie Anne Haddock), Nancy Olsen (played by Felice Schacter), Sue Ann Weaver (played by Julie Piekarski) and Dorothy "Tootie" Ramsey (played by Kim Fields).

The first season was rocky, airing only four episodes in the late summer of '79, six episodes in the spring of '80 and two episodes in the summer of '80. Ratings weren't great, but it somehow received a 16-episode second season order, but with major changes. Molly, Cindy, Nancy and Sue Ann was reduced to recurring background characters. Mrs. Garrett was upgraded to the school's dietitian. The first episode of the second introduced the new student, Jo Polniaczek (played by Nancy McKeon), a tough girl who drags Blair, Natalie and Tootie out to a bar, leading to their suspension from the school that is until Mrs. Garret agrees to be responsible for them. The four girls leave their dorm rooms and move into the storage room across from Mr. Garret's bedroom.

The changes in the series boosted the ratings incredibly, lasting 201 episodes and two television movies over the course eight seasons. Plus, there was a post-reunion television movie in 2001, minus actress Nancy McKeon.

Resurrection: The Complete First Season
Starring: Omar Epps, Frances Fisher, Matt Craven, Devin Kelly, Mark Hildreth, Samaire Armstrong, Sam Hazeldine, Landon Gimenez, Kurtwood Smith
Release Date: June 10, 2014
Retail: $29.99
ASIN: B00IYMSMTM
Running Time: 344 minutes
Rating: TV-PG
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

Arriving on DVD for the first time on Tuesday, June 10, 2014 is Resurrection: The Complete First Season, the recent hit ABC series based on the book The Returned by Jason Mott and stars an all-star cast of Omar Epps, Frances Fisher, Matt Craven, Devin Kelly, Mark Hildreth, Samaire Armstrong, Sam Hazeldine, Landon Gimenez and Kurtwood Smith. Bonus Features include Resurrection: Building A Mystery, On Location In Georgia, bloopers and deleted scenes.

Though the series received a mixed reaction from critics, the first season averaged 12.96 million and is the highest rating series for the Sunday 9:00 pm Eastern/8:00 pm Central timeslot for ABC ever since Desperate Housewives ended its run.

Resurrection centers on J. Martin Bellamy (played by Omar Epps), an immigration agent who is in charge of returning eight-year-old Jacob Langston (played by Landon Gimenez) back to his family. For some mysterious reason, the boy had traveled to China, where he was found with no memory. The only thing he remembers is the town Arcadia, Missouri.

Defying his orders, Bellmays takes the child to Arcadia to reunite the boy with his parents, Henry and Lucille Langston (played by Kurtwood Smith and Frances Fisher), but there is a small problem - Jacob Langston drowned in 1982.

Arriving on DVD and Blu-ray on Tuesday, May 20, 2014, is the hit BBC/PBS series, Call the Midwife, created by Heidi Thomas based on the memoirs of the late Jennifer Worth. A special feature includes "Inside Call The Midwife - Interviews With Cast and Crew."

Call the Midwife is set in the East End of London in the late 1950s and centers on a twenty-something nurse named Jenny Lee (played by Jessica Raine), whom works side-by-side with the midwives and nuns at the Nonnatus House.

The 2013 Christmas Special bridges the gap between the second and third season. A bomb is found in the district, causing the residents to be evacuated. Sister Julienne and the other Sisters help the homeless find shelter until the crisis is over. The former-nun, Shelagh, is planning her wedding to Dr Turner, but the wedding becomes in jeopardy when a family emergency occurs.

Season Three, Trixie (Helen George), Chummy (Miranda Hart), Jenny Lee (Jessica Raine) and Cynthia Miller (Bryony Hannah)

Episode One is set in 1959 and introduces the new Nonnatus House, as the old house was being torn down. There is also a new nun named Sister Winifred at the house to help out while Chummy tries to adapt at being a stay-at-home mother.

I Dream of Jeannie: Seasons 1 & 2
Starring: Barbara Eden, Larry Hagman
Studio: Mill Creek Entertainment
Release Date: April 1, 2014
Retail: $14.98
ASIN: B00I099K4K
Running Time: 25 hours and 48 minutes
Rating: Not Rated

Review:

Arriving on DVD last month from Mill Creek Entertainment is Seasons One and Two of the classic sitcom I Dream of Jeannie, which the seasons can be purchased individually or as a Two Season Combo Pack.

 I Dream of Jeannie aired from 1965 to 1970; producing 139 episodes during its five season run. The series centered on Major Anthony "Tony" Nelson (played by the late Larry Hagman), an astronaut, who stumbles upon a unique bottle when his one-man capsule lands in the South Pacific. He gets a big shock when he opens the bottle and a 2,000-year-old genie, Jeannie (played by Barbara Eden), pops out of it.

In the fairy tales, genies typically gives you three wishes, but that is not the case for Major Nelson, whom is permanently stuck with Jeannie, even though he had wished for her to be free. He returns home in Florida, where he is looking forward to seeing his fiance, a general's daughter. Jeannie is already in love with Major Nelson and is determined to interfere with his relationship. Note: the fiance character was dropped after the pilot.

After the pilot, the series focused on Major Nelson, along with his pal Major Healey, covering up what antics or whatever trouble Jeannie has gotten herself into, in fear that NASA would learn that she is a genie.

The 61 episodes on the six disc set are:

NewsRadio: Seasons 1 & 2
Starring: Dave Foley, Phil Hartman, Khandi Alexander, Maura Tierney, Andy Dick, Joe Rogan, Stephen Root, Vicki Lewis
Studio: Mill Creek Entertainment
Release Date: April 1, 2014
Retail: $14.98
ASIN: B00I099JUK
Running Time: 10 hours 12 minutes
Rating: Not Rated

Review:

Arriving on DVD earlier this month from Mill Creek entertainment is the first and second seasons of the  90s comedy series NewsRadio, starring Dave Foley, Khandi Alexander, Maura Tierney, Andy Dick, Joe Rogan, Stephen Root, Vicki Lewis and the late comedian great, Phil Hartman.

The series aired on NBC from 1995 to 1999 with 97 episodes produced over five seasons. It went into syndication for a few years before officially disappearing from the airwaves. However, the complete series made its way on DVD between 2005 to 2008, but all the season sets are now out-of-print. Mill Creek Entertainment acquired the rights of several Sony Pictures titles, including NewsRadio, in 2013.

NewsRadio is centered on the antics of the office staff of New York City's WNYX radio station, which is owned by Jimmy James (played by Stephen Root). The pilot introduces the new news director, Dave Nelson (played by Dave Foley), who has to fire the current news director on his first day at work. There is an instant chemistry between Dave and the reporter/producer Lisa Miller (played by Maura Tierney), but there is a slight problem - she wanted to be the new news director. Despite the tension between the two, they enter a relationship which they try to hide from the other employees, Bill McNeal (played by Phil Hartman), Beth (played by Vicki Lewis), Matthew Brock (played by Andy Dick), Catherine Duke (played by Khandi Alexander) and Joe Garrelli (played by Joe Rogan).

The episodes on the three disc-set are:

Doctor Who: The Time of the Doctor
Director: Jamie Payne
Starring: Matt Smith, Jenna Coleman and Peter Capaladi
Studio: BBC
Release Date: March 4, 2013
Retail: $14.98
ASIN: B00HCK7THS
Running Time: 63 minutes
Rating: NOT RATED

Review:

BBC's Doctor Who franchise celebrated its 50th anniversary last year with a slue of DVD/Blu-ray releases, the second half of Series 7 and the 50th anniversary special, The Day of the Doctor. It all ended with Matt Smith's final adventure in the Christmas Special Doctor Who: The Time of the Doctor, which is arriving on Blu-ray and DVD this Tuesday, March 4th. Special features include "The Time of the Doctor - Behind the Lens," "Farewell to Matt Smith," and "Tales of the TARDIS."

Picking up shortly after the events in "The Day of the Doctor" that revealed the possible survival of the Doctor's home planet, Gallifrey, the Doctor's Cyberman head "Handles" picks up an odd signal coming from an unknown planet, which the planet is orbited by thousands of aliens, all wanting to know who or what sent the signal.

Doctor Who: The Time of the Doctor; the Doctor (Matt Smith) and Clara (Jenna Coleman) Photo Credit: © BBC

The Doctor's latest companion, Clara Oswald (AKA - the impossible girl), is trying to have a normal Christmas dinner with her family, when the Doctor magically shows up, once again dragging her into the TARDIS to travel to the unknown world to figure out what the signal is coming from. With the use of Handles, they track down the strange signal which is located in a town called Christmas, where the Doctor encounters a familiar mystery - the crack in the wall, which was thought to have been closed in "The Big Bang."

Charlie's Angels: Season 1
Starring: Kate Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, Jaclyn Smith
Studio: Mill Creek Entertainment
Release Date: January 28, 2014
Retail: $9.98
Running Time: 1181 minutes
Rating: Not Rated

Review:

Arriving on DVD today from Mill Creek Entertainment is Charlie's Angels:Season One starring Kate Jackson, Farrah Fawcett and Jaclyn Smith as the three original angels.

The series ran from 1976-1981 with a total of 110, but has been in syndication ever since. It was remade into feature films in the early 2000s starring Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu. ABC remade the series in 2011 to horrible reviews and was canceled after four episodes.

The original Charlie's Angels didn't exactly get a warm welcoming from critics, but it became popular with viewers. The series follows Sabrina Duncan (played by Kate Jackson), Kelly Garrett (played by Jaclyn Smith) and Jill Munroe (played the late Farrah Fawcett), all of whom have recently graduated police academy, but this is the 70s and they're basically stuck on desk duty that is until Charlie enters their lives.

Sabrina, Kelly and Jill leave the police force to work at the Charles Townsend Agency as private investigators. Though Charlie's voice is only heard through a speaker phone, John Bosley is the one who assigns them the cases.


The episodes on the 4-disc set are:

Bewitched: Seasons 1 & 2
Starring: Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York, Agnes Moorehead
Studio: Mill Creek Entertainment
Release Date: January 21, 2014
Retail: $14.98
ASIN: B00GOC74RU
Running Time: 1860 minutes
Rating: Not Rated

Review:

It’s hard to believe that the classic television series Bewitched will turn fifty-years-old this fall. Though the series ended in 1972, Samantha Stephens has continued to live on through syndication reruns. Sony Home Entertainment released the series on DVD sets, but most are out-of-print. Luckily, Mill Creek Entertainment struck a deal to distribute Sony Home Entertainment titles to DVD, which one of those titles is Bewitched.

Today, January 21, 2014, the first two seasons of Bewitched were released on DVD, as well as a two season combo pack, which happens to be the one that was sent to me for this review. All 74 episodes from seasons one and two are presented in their original classic black & white presentation, totaling an approx. runtime of 31 hours of bedazzling entertainment for the entire family.

I grew up watching the reruns when I was kid during the late 80s and early 90s, but for some odd reason I can't remember a plot from one single episode, not unless you count the so-so 2005 big-screen version starring Will Ferrell and Nicole Kidman, which I'm afraid to admit I have seen the movie several times. That being said, I was eagerly looking forward to watching a few episodes of the series again.

Like I said, I don't remember the actually plots, but I also don't recall how the series started, where Darrin Stephens (played by Dick York) bumps into Samantha (played by Elizabeth Montgomery). The two quickly tie the knot and then on the wedding night, Darrin learns Samantha is a witch. They don't move into famous Stephens' house until the second episode "Be It Ever So Mortgaged." Darren doesn't meet his mother-in-law, Endora (played by Agnes Moorehead) until the fourth episode titled "Mother Meet What's His Name," though she had been pestering Samantha in the previous episodes for marring a mortal.


The episodes on the six-disc set are:

Wolfblood: Season One
Studio: New Video Group
Release Date: December 31, 2013
Retail:$19.95
ASIN: B00F1BFZXA
Running Time: 5 hours 38 minutes
Rating: NR

Review:

Arriving tomorrow on DVD is the fantasy/supernatural British television series Wolfblood: Season One, featuring thirteen exciting episodes. The half-hour series aired on CBBC in 2012 and will return next year for a third season. It premiered in United States back in October on the Disney Channel.

Wolfblood centers on 14-year-old Maddy Smith, who is living with her parents in  Northumbria, Stoneybridge. Maddy and her parents are keeping a dark, dark secret - they are wolfbloods (werewolves)! It hasn't been easy keeping the family secret from her best-friends, Shannon Kelly and Thomas (Tom) Okanawe, especially when her first transformation is approaching.

Her world is turned upside down when a new student, Rhydian, arrives at Bradlington High. Maddy instantly suspects he is one of her kind. She quickly learns that he is living with his new foster parents and that he is a wolfblood, possibly a distant cousin. Her parents help him settle in his new environment and help him understand about his heritage.

Life in Stoneybridge isn't easy for Maddy and Rhydian, as their friend Shannon is hunting the 'beast' that terrified her as a child. She is determined to catch a picture of the 'beast' that roams the forest. To make matter worse, a beast-hunter arrives in town looking for a werewolf and Rhydian's relatives track him down.

Doctor Who: The Doctor's Revisited Ninth-Eleventh
Starring: Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, Matt Smith
Studio: BBC America
Release Date: December 3, 2013
Retail: $39.98
ASIN: B00EZQH11G
Running Time: 339 minutes
Rating: Not Rated

Review:

Doctor Who turned the big 50 last weekend and BBC is continuing the celebration by releasing Doctor Who: The Doctors Revisited - Ninth-Eleventh featuring a 2-part story for each actor's (Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, Matt Smith) tenure as the Doctor. Each story is presented in its original 2-part version, a feature film version with an introduction by Steven Moffat and a 25-minute documentary on each Doctor. Additionally, there are four magnets included with the set.

Christopher Eccleston's stay as the ninth Doctor may have been short, but he did help reboot the franchise for a new generation of fans. His final two episodes, Bad Wolf & The Parting of Ways) are presented in this set. The Doctor, Rose and Captain Jack Harkness suddenly find themselves separated on various game shows (The Weakest Link, Big Brother and What Not To Wear), only for a few minor changes - the losers are exterminated. As the Doctor escapes the game show, he soon learns his enemy - Daleks are responsible. The Parting of Ways finds The Doctor sending Rose in the TARDIS back to Earth while he tries to stop a Dalek invasion, all leading to his regeneration.

The Stolen Earth and Journey's End are the two final episodes of the tenth Doctor's (David Tennant) third season (series) which brings former companions Rose Tyler, Martha Jones, Captain Jack Harkness and Sarah Jane Smith, to help him stop another Dalek invasion (created and led by Davros and the red supreme Dalek), but this time the Daleks are a step ahead the Doctor, as the Daleks have literally stolen Earth and have relocated it. It almost seems the Doctor will finally be defeated by his nemesis, but everyone's fate lies in the hands of Donna Noble.

The Neighbors: The Complete First Season
Starring: Jami Gertz, Lenny Venito, Simon Templeman, Toks Olagundoye, Clara Mamet
Studio: ABC Studios
Release Date: September 24, 2013
Retail: $34.99
ASIN: B00DF3EY06
Running Time: 506 minutes
Rating: TV-PG

Review:

Aliens are in our neighborhood! Well, at least they arrived on DVD back in September with the release of ABC's The Neighbors: The Complete First Season, featuring a gag reel and deleted scenes as the bonus features.

The Neighbors stars Lenny Ventio and Jami Gertz as Mary and Debby Weaver, who, along with their three children (Max, Abby and Amber) move from the big city to a gated community called "Hidden Hills" in New Jersey. Upon arriving they instantly notice the odd behavior of all the neighbors, especially Larry Bird, his wife, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, and their two kids, Reggie Jackson and Dick Butkus. At first the Weavers think their new neighbors are crazy, but it turns out they are aliens from another planet.
The episodes on the three-disc set are:

It seems like you can't go into a department store without seeing some kind of merchandise, from band-aids to candy bars (Yes, I saw them at Walmart), for A&E's hit series Duck Dynasty. The Robertson clan just released their Christmas album last week and today LIONSGATE is releasing Duck Dynasty: I’m Dreaming of a Redneck Christmas on DVD.

I’m Dreaming of a Redneck Christmas is actually the season finale from the second season that aired on December 5, 2012. In the double-length episode, the Louisiana's bearded camouflaged millionaires celebrate the holiday season.

Every year, Willie gets out of playing Santa Clause at the local church, but his luck has ran out this year. Of course every Santa needs a helper and this is where Uncle Si comes in as Willie's elf assistant, who doesn't exactly brings Santa's bag full of toys, and instead Uncle Si brings a garbage bag full of office supplies.

From left to right: Willie Robertson (left), Si Robertson (center) and Korie Robertson (right) in Lionsgate Home Entertainment's DUCK DYNASTY: I'M DREAMING OF A REDNECK CHRISTMAS. Photo by Zach Dilgard

Leverage: The Final Season
Starring: Timothy Hutton, Gina Bellman, Aldis Hodge, Christian Kane, Beth Riesgraf
Studio: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
Release Date September 17, 2013
ASIN: B00DI013EG
Running Time: 635 minutes
Rating: Not Rated

Review:

Last week, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment released the 5th and final season of TNT's Leverage starring Timothy Hutton as "The Mastermind" Nathan "Nate" Ford, Gina Bellman as "The Grifter" Sophie Devereaux, Aldis Hodge as "The Hacker" Alec Hardison, Christian Kane as "The Hitter" Eliot Spencer, and Beth Riesgraf as Parker "The Thief" on DVD.

The premise of Leverage involves ex-insurance investigator Nate Ford and his team of ex-criminals helping  innocent people who have been wronged by the rich and powerful. Throughout each episode the team runs a con on a company or an individual and steals money from them or set them up for a crime.
 
The episodes and special features on the four-disc set are:

Nashville: The Complete First Season
Starring: Connie Britton, Hayden Panettiere
Studio: ABC Studios
Release Date: September 17, 2013
Retail: $45.99
ASIN: B009M7R2LM
Running Time: 903 minutes
Rating: TV-PG

Review:

ABC Studios will be releasing Nashville: The Complete First Season on DVD tomorrow, September 17, 2013, which is just over a week before the season premiere on September 25th. Along with the 21 season one episodes, the DVD is jammed pack with extras; such as  Nashville Comes to Nashville - meet the city that's the vibrant home and heart of the country music industry, On the Record: B-Side - discover some of the remarkable talent behind the show's music and learn the story of two of its heartfelt ballads, Stellas Go On "Tour" - tag along for a tour of the Nashville set with the exuberant and talented young Stella sisters, bloopers, and deleted scenes. 

Fresh from her performance on American Horror Story, Connie Britton returned to television last fall as a 40-year-old country music singer Rayna Jaymes, who is now a mother to two girls, Maddie and Daphine (played by real life sisters, Lennon and Maisy Stella), and the wife to the next-mayor of Nashville, Teddy Conrad (played by Eric Close). Despite all her responsibilities, Rayna wants to continue as the Queen of Country, but her recent album and tour has undersold. Meanwhile, the former teen country singer, Juliette Barnes (played by Hayden Panettiere) wants to take Rayna's spot in country music.

Aspiring songwriter, Scarlett O'Connor (played by Clare Bowmen), is wanting to break into the country music business, that is when she's not working as a waitress at the Bluebird Cafe or fighting with her singer boyfriend, Avery Barkley (played by Jonathan Jackson). Her life takes an unexpected turn when meets an aspiring singer, Gunnar Scott.

Castle: The Complete Fifth Season
Starring: Nathan Fillion, Stana Katic, Jon Huertas, Seamus Dever, Tamala Jones
Studio: ABC Studios
Release Date: September 10, 2013
ASIN: B009RX7IX8
Retail: $45.99
Running Time: 1,032 minutes
Rating: TV-PG

Review:

Tomorrow, ABC Studios will be releasing Castle: The Complete Fifth Season on DVD starring Nathan Fillion (Firefly) as novelist Richard Castle and Stana Katic as Detective Kate Beckett, with many bonus features, such as Martha's Master Class - Castle's mom presents a whole new way to experience the 100th episode; Your Home Is Your Castle - interior design star Vern Yip gives you an exclusive access to Castle's penthouse & Beckett's loft in all-net TV design special; Lot Cops - Jon Huretas and Seamus Dever bring fans along on a tactical training course to ensure authenticity in the series; deleted scenes; bloopers; and audio commentaries. As an extra bonus, there is a pack of Castle trading cards.

Castle hit the airwaves as a mid-season replacement on ABC in 2009 airing on Monday nights and has become a ratings hit, as well as a fan favorite series. The first episode "After The Storm" picks up where the season 4 finale ended with Castle and Beckett finally admitting their feelings for each other and leading Beckett to meet face-to-face with her mother's murderer. The Caskett couple's romance doesn't stay a secret for very long, as Castle can't keep anything from his daughter, Alexa (played by Molly Quinn), and his mother, Martha (played by Susan Sullivan), but telling their co-workers, Det. Javier Esposito (played by Jon Huertas) and Det. Kevin Ryan (played by Seamus Dever), and Captain Victoria Gates (played by Penny Johnson Jerald) will take a bit longer.


The episodes on the 5-disc set are:

The Border: The Complete First Season
Starring: James McGowan, Graham Abbey, Jonas Chernick, Mark Wilson
Studio: Mill Creek Entertainment
Release Date: July 16, 2013
ASIN: B00CMDPT68
Retail: $14.98
Buy Link: Amazon.com
Running Time: 9 hours 43 minutes
Rating: TV-14

Review:

The Canadian drama The Border is finally available on DVD for the first time in the United States thanks to Mill Creek Entertainment releasing the complete first season on a three-disc set, which sent me a free copy of the DVD in exchange for my honest review.

The Border is a blend of NCIS and Law & Order, except the series focuses its attention on the fictional ICS (Immigration and Customs Security) agency as it protects the Canadian border from terrorist and smugglers. The agency is lead by Mike Kessler with Maggie Norton as his second-in-command, as they attempt to protect Canada from any threat.

The episodes are:

Duck Dynasty: Season 3
Starring: Jase Robertson, Kay Robertson, Phil Robertson, Willie Robertson, Korie Robertson
Studio: A&E Home Video; Lionsgate
Release Date: August 6, 2013
ASIN: B00CUDD0SO
Retail: $19.98
Run Time: 309 minutes
Buy Link: Amazon.com
Rating: Not Rated

Review:

A&E's Duck Dynasty has only been on television for a year and half, but it has become the most watched A&E series with the season three finale bringing in 9.6 million viewers. With the fourth season premier this Wednesday, A&E released the third season on a two-disc DVD set this past Tuesday.

Duck Dynasty stars the Robertson clan, where an episode typically centers on hunting, fishing, or duck call building, aka Duck Commander, which was founded by Phil Robertson. The third son, Willie, is the company's CEO and has turned the family business into a multimillion dollar company. Most of the employees are either family or friends, which can be a bit of a problem at times, especially during hunting season.

Breaking Bad: The Fifth Season
Starring: Bryan Cranston, Anna Gunn, Aaron Paul, Dean Norris, Betsy Brandt
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Release Date: June 4, 2013
ASIN: B0060MYKYY
Retail: $55.99
Running Time: 375 minutes
Rating: Not Rated

Review: 

AMC's hit series Breaking Bad is coming to a close with the premiere of the final season on Sunday, August 11, 2013, which some people consider it as the second half of season five, while others are referring it as season six. I'm calling it the final season and I can't wait to watch it next Sunday as it has been nearly a year since the shocking cliffhanger. I've been a big fan ever since episode one of the series; I even got parents hooked into watching it. To prepare myself for the final eight episodes, I watched The Fifth Season on DVD this week.

The episodes on the three-disc set are:

Episode 1: Live Free or Die picks up shortly after Walter (Walt) White made his deadly move on his boss and meth dealer, Gus Fring, and he tries to destroy all the evidence pointing back to him, but the DEA (which his brother-in-law Hank is an agent) has already collected Gus's laptop. In a state of panic, Jesse Pinkman comes up with a plan to wipe the memory clean from the laptop, even though it is being stored in the DEA's evidence locker.

Episode 2: Madrigal - To make up the money his wife (Skyler) lost, Walt desperately wants to restart the meth-making business. With Jesse agreeing to assist him once again, they try to convince Gus's former cleaner, Mike Ehrmantraut, to join their new venture.

Episode 3: Hazard Pay - With Mike becoming a third partner, Walt and Jesse seek out their lawyer's, Saul Goodman, help in finding a new location for their business. Everything is in place and going fine, until Walt learns of some extra costs.

BBC America's critically acclaimed sci-fi thriller Orphan Black: Season One arrives on DVD and Blu-Ray on Tuesday July 16th, 2013 starring Tatiana Maslany ("Ghost" in Ginger Snaps 2: Unleashed), who recently won a Critic's Choice Television Award.

Tatiana Maslany plays Sarah Manning, a young woman who grew up as an orphan and is now a con artist/thief. She's in shock when she witnesses the suicide of her look-alike Detective Elizabeth "Beth" Childs, whom just happens to leave her purse containing her identification. Being a con artist, Sarah takes over Beth's identity, mostly to clear out Beth's bank accounts before the authorities learn of her death; plus, Sarah is trying to runaway from ex-boyfriend. She hopes the money is enough for her to start a new life with her seven-year-old daughter, Kira.

The longer Sarah stays as Beth, the more dangerous her life becomes as she learns there are more look-alikes, a housewife, a science nerd, and a crazy assassin. Allied with her foster brother, Felix, and two of her chameleons, Sarah is determined to figure out what is going on and who she really is.

Orphan Black, Season 1, Episode 1, Sarah (Tatiana Maslany)

Flash Gordon: The Complete Series
Starring: Eric Johnson, Gina Holden, Karen Cliche, Jody Racicot
Studio: Mill Creek Entertainment
Release Date: April 16, 2013
ASIN: B00BHLTIXQ
Discs: 4
Features: None
Run Time: 963 minutes
Rating:  TV-14

Review: 

Flash Gordon was a popular 1930's comic strip by Alex Raymond and ended its run in 2003. In 1935 it became a weekly radio series. The comic made its way onto the small screen in the live-action 1954-1955 series and the animated 1979-1980 series. Three more short-lived cartoon series followed in 1982, 1986, and 1996. Flash even made it on the big screen in forty serials between 1936 and 1940. The comic is more famously known for the 1980 box-office flop that featured a soundtrack by Queen, but over the years it has been become a cult classic.

Flash Gordon returned to television on Sci-Fi (now known as SyFy) for the 2007-2008 live-action series. It was released on DVD in Canada in 2009, but it was unavailable in the United States until Mill Creek Entertainment released it on DVD on Tuesday, which I received a free copy in exchange for my honest review.

The series followed Flash Gordon's quest to find his lost scientist father, who had disappeared when Flash was only a thirteen-year-old. His father's former assistant Dr. Hans Zarkov informs him that his father didn't disappear. His father had found a rift between space and traveled to another world called Mongo. Along with his ex-girlfriend reporter Dale Arden, Flash travels to Mongo, a world ruled by the dictator Ming, who controls Mongo's only water supply. Flash and Dale soon befriend Baylin, who helps them try to stop Ming.

The episodes on the DVD set are: